Public Sociology An Introduction to Australian Society

Public Sociology highlights the relevance of sociological perspectives to Australian social life and encourages students to apply a sociological gaze to their own lives and the communities in which they live. This fully revised and updated fifth edition adds new chapters and material on a wide range of contemporary issues, from the COVID-19 pandemic and ‘fake news’ to Iindigenous issues and the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement.

Public Sociology presents a wide range of topics in a user-friendly and accessible way, introducing key theories and research methods, and exploring core themes, including youth, families and intimate relationships, class and inequality, and race and ethnic relations. All chapters have been extensively revised to bring them up to date in a fast-changing social world, reflecting the latest sociological debates in response to changing lifestyles and evolving political landscapes. In addition to updated statistics and research findings, an expanded glossary and the latest citations to the scholarly literature, each chapter  includes numerous learning features for students and instructors, including definitions of key terms, concise summaries of main points, discussion questions and guides to further reading and additional resources.

This is the essential sociological reference to help students in the social sciences make sense of a complex and challenging world.

New to the Fifth Edition:

New chapters on the COVID-19 pandemic, Indigenous issues, youth and identity, and sport Exploration of the latest social issues including the pandemic, BLM, expanded discussion of gender, #MeToo, LGBTIQ+ and intersectionality, rising inequality and the ‘post-truth’ age All chapters thoroughly revised and updated with the latest research Updated design, images, and chapter opening vignettes to engage the reader

Module 1: Doing Public Sociology

1. The sociological gaze: Linking private lives to public issues

John Germov and Marilyn Poole

2. Sociological foundations: Early theorists and theories

Marilyn Poole and John Germov

3. Contemporary sociological theorists and theories

Marilyn Poole and John Germov

4. Sociological investigations: Doing social research

Corrie Williams and Tara Renae McGee

Module 2: Social Identities

5. Socialisation: How we become who and what we are

Marilyn Poole

6. Youth, Identity, and Social Change

David Farrugia

7. Families and Intimate relationships

Marilyn Poole

8. Consumption and lifestyles

Ian Woodward

9. This Sporting Life

Brent McDonald and Fiona McLachlan

10. A sociology of licit and illicit drugs

Maria Freij and John Germov

Module 3: Social Differences and Inequalities

11. Class and inequality in Australia

Mark Western, Janeen Baxter and John Germov

12. Gender and sexualities

Julia Coffey, Akana Kanai, Megan Sharp and Barrie Shannon

13. Ethnicity and belonging

Zlatko Skrbiš and Jonathan Smith

14. Indigenous Issues, Rights, and Sovereignty

Jacob Prehn and Maggie Walter

15. Religion and spirituality in contemporary Australia

Andrew Singleton

16. Deviance, crime, and social control

Sharyn Roach Anleu

Module 4: Social Transformations

17. The social determinants of health and illness

Marilyn Poole and John Germov

18. Globalisation, power, and social movements

Jan Pakulski

19. Global risk and the surveillance state: A sociology of new terrorism

Maria Freij and John Germov

20. Working 24/7: The new work ethic

John Germov

21. A sociology of pandemics: The nexus of personal troubles and public issues

Maria Freij

22. Media and popular culture

Timothy Marjoribanks

23. Educating society: Sociological debates and dilemmas

Julie McLeod and Samantha Mannix

Module 5: Future Directions

24. A sociological toolkit

John Germov

25. Writing a sociology essay

John Germov

26. Threshold learning outcomes for sociology

John Germov